have reportedly on amid an expected summer transfer tussle between a number of heavyweights.
are thought to be the in the race for his signature, but the Hammers captain has also , Liverpool and Chelsea.
Despite his obvious talents, a number of figures in the game have preached caution over meeting West Ham’s valuation, .
And so with West Ham seemingly demanding the eye watering figure to part ways with their star player, let’s take a look at some of the biggest transfers ever involving midfielders.
Enzo Fernandez – £107 million
Argentina’s winner became the when he completed his move to from Benfica in the January 2023 transfer window.
Club officials had flown to Lisbon in a dramatic attempt to get the deal over the line on deadline day, amind fears Benfica would elect to keep their prize asset and thus spark a huge transfer tussle between other European clubs in the summer.
Fernandez, who is also the , has settled in well during his first four months at Stamford Bridge despite the turmoil engulfing the west Londoners.
Paul Pogba – £91 million
Manchester United finally returned to Old Trafford in 2016 in a £91 million deal with Italian giants Juventus.
The Frenchman had been in United’s academy as a youngster before moving to Juventus in 2012, where he blossomed into one of the finest midfielders in world football during his four year spell in Turin.
At the time of the deal, Pogba’s move was the most expensive transfer in the history of the game – but he largely failed to live up to his lofty price tag and in 2022.
Aurelien Tchouameni – £85 million
Real Madrid announced the signing of Tchouameni in June 2022 after beating off a whole host of Premier League interest.
The 23 year-old established himself as one of the most dominant midfielders in the game during his two-and-a-half years with Monaco, and he has since cemented that reputation with regular game time at the Bernabeu despite competing for a starting place with the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde.
Tchouameni, who last year, has reportedly received interest from Liverpool over a potential move this summer.
Zinedine Zidane – £69 million
Regarded as one of the very best players of all time, the French icon moved to Real Madrid from Juventus from a then world-record fee in 2001.
Having won the Euros and World Cup with France in the three years before the deal, Zizou went on to score 49 goals in 227 appearances for Los Blancos en route to winning the Champions League and La Liga.
hung up his boots in 2006 and stepped into management with Madrid, guiding the club to three successive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018.
Frenkie de Jong – £65 million
The Dutchman snubbed transfer interest from Manchester City and PSG to sign for Barcelona from Ajax in 2019.
As is expected of a Barca midfielder, has displayed impeccable close ball control, flawless positioning and an extensive range of passing.
But with cash-stricken Barcelona in desperate need to raise to raise money and reduce their crippling wage bill, the 25 year-old has repeatedly been linked with a move away from Camp Nou with .
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